IFD

One of the most controversial strikers in all of football is once again back in the headlines for the wrong reasons.

OGC Nice striker Mario Balotelli was sent to the stands and did not take part in Nice’s 1-1 draw against Montpellier Monday evening. While there were early reports before the match that Balotelli’s exclusion was simply due to fitness concerns, new reports have arised stating otherwise. Manager Lucien Favre reportedly decided to leave Balotelli in the stands due to his “emotional vulnerability”. Although an odd reason for benching a player, nothing is really a surprise anymore when it comes to reasons why Balotelli can not seem to find a rhythm on the pitch.

Super Mario started off brilliantly last weekend scoring two goals in his Ligue 1 debut to help guide Nice to a 3-2 derby win over Olympique Marseille. Going forward it will be interesting to see how Mario handles this once he returns to first team action.